Israeli security cabinet rejects ICC's move on jurisdiction

Tel Aviv, Feb 8 (IANS) The Israeli security cabinet said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction to investigate war crimes allegedly committed by the Jewish state.

The ICC's decision on February 5 came after lengthy deliberations, prompted by a Palestinian request to probe Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, reports Xinhua news agency.

Welcomed by the Palestinians, the decision by the court says that it has jurisdiction to investigate events that have occurred in territories in the West Bank and Gaza.

"The security cabinet rejects outright the scandalous decision," it said in a statement on Sunday.

According to the cabinet, the ICC has no jurisdiction to investigate events in the West Bank and Gaza.

The cabinet said that the ruling by the pre-trial chamber of three ICC judges as "exposes the court as a political body that stands in line with international organizations driven by antisemitic elements".

A day after the decision, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the move, saying it was "pure anti-semitism".

"We will fight this perversion of justice," he said in a recorded statement.

The country's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said that "Israel is committed to the fundamental values of international law, and is fully capable of examining alleged violations of the law on its own".

"There is absolutely no place for the ICC's intervention in matters that are under the jurisdiction of the state of Israel," he added.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Forces said it "will continue to defend, the security of Israel and its citizens, in the face of every threat, while adhering fully national and international law".